The present invention relates to a low voltage lighting system which comprises a multitude of lamps supported by and powered from a flexible, twin conductor cable. The system includes means for suspending the cable and attaching and aiming the lamps individually to provide flood, spot or accent lighting of e.g. paintings on a wall or merchandise on shelves in a store.
Track lighting systems in general comprise a rigid track which is attached to building elements or furniture and supports several lighting fixtures which are fed from live conductors contained within the track structure. The main advantage of track lighting is that, once it is installed, the user can move the fixtures around and aim them without the aid of a licensed electrician and often without the use of tools.
Track lighting using line voltage must have guards to prevent the user from touching the conductors, whereas in low voltage track lighting the track is often open and unprotected because there is no danger of electric shock.
A variety of low voltage track lighting, termed cable lighting, comprises two, parallel conductors in the shape of metal wires or cables which are mounted several inches apart strung out between anchor points in walls or ceilings and at one end connected to a low voltage transformer. In most cable systems the cables support light fixtures via contact organs which rest upon the cables or are attached to them by means of of some kind of clamping device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,360 describes such a a cable lighting system wherein the two cables are insulated, and the lighting fixtures provided with insulation piercing contact organs.